A game I remember from my childhood as being a passionate and feisty affair.

These sides haven’t played a league fixture against one another since February 2002.

With Stoke staring Championship relegation in the face and Port Vale currently occupying one of the three automatic spots in League Two, there’s a reasonable chance at present, of the sides meeting in League One next season.

.
A couple of ex-Clarets featuring in the pic above too…

Nigel Gleghorn?

Vince Overson ?

One more….

Proper derby. Vale!

Jimmy McIlroy, just didn't look right in a Stoke shirt.

Peter Swann?

Lubanski wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:17 am

Jimmy McIlroy, just didn't look right in a Stoke shirt.

You're dead right. Went to the match at Stoke in November 1963 where Jimmy Mc was playing for the first time against us since he left the club in February of the same year. 4-4 was the final result, after being 3-0 down at half time and 4-2 down with not long left in the game. I was only 11 years old but don't recall Mc doing very much in the match. But that heavy looking striped shirt just didn't look right on him.

Port Vale play Bromley today with the chance to be the only team to have beaten every one of the other 91.

Imagine most teams in the league's four divisions wont have played against the other 91 let alone beaten them.

Silkyskills1 wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:53 am

You're dead right. Went to the match at Stoke in November 1963 where Jimmy Mc was playing for the first time against us since he left the club in February of the same year. 4-4 was the final result, after being 3-0 down at half time and 4-2 down with not long left in the game. I was only 11 years old but don't recall Mc doing very much in the match. But that heavy looking striped shirt just didn't look right on him.

That was my first game watching the Clarets. Age 9

Stevie2112 wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:18 am

Peter Swann?

Correct.

If my memory serves me right, Vale got to the play-off final that year and he was sent off…I think against West Brom.

mdd2 wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 12, 2025 12:09 pm

Imagine most teams in the league's four divisions wont have played against the other 91 let alone beaten them.

Obviously

I remember going to a Stoke away game and we went in a pub in Burslem- it was brilliant, we were treated like royalty.

Tall Paul wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:54 am

Port Vale play Bromley today with the chance to be the only team to have beaten every one of the other 91.

That’s some stat

By a strange coincidence a group of us were in a beer garden in Derby on Tuesday afternoon and got chatting to a guy who was sitting on his own. Turned out he was a huge Vale fan (doing some work in Derby) and we were saying how often we used to play them at one time and how we haven't been there (in the league) in ages. He was very upbeat about the future for Vale after some extremely rocky times.

Dark Cloud wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 12, 2025 4:02 pm

By a strange coincidence a group of us were in a beer garden in Derby on Tuesday afternoon and got chatting to a guy who was sitting on his own. Turned out he was a huge Vale fan (doing some work in Derby) and we were saying how often we used to play them at one time and how we haven't been there (in the league) in ages. He was very upbeat about the future for Vale after some extremely rocky times.

Last time we played them in the League Cup and lost in the dark! Poorest floodlights ever, with bulbs missing!

Tall Paul wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:54 am

Port Vale play Bromley today with the chance to be the only team to have beaten every one of the other 91.

Looks like they will achieve it. 2 up.

Feisty is an understatement

Stoke just gone 1 up at Cardiff.

IanMcL wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 12, 2025 4:07 pm

Last time we played them in the League Cup and lost in the dark! Poorest floodlights ever, with bulbs missing!

Went to that game to get Vale Park on my grounds list.
Best bit was the KFC we had pre-game.

jdrobbo wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 12, 2025 10:54 am

With Stoke staring Championship relegation in the face and Port Vale currently occupying one of the three automatic spots in League Two, there’s a reasonable chance at present, of the sides meeting in League One next season.

Are Stoke really staring relegation in the face?

Bit dramatic, don’t you think?

Good memories on both teams in the early-mid 90’s…. Stein, Taylor, Slaven, Russell, Van der Laan, Aspin, Foyle, Foley to name a few.

Port Vale memories, playing them in the FA Cup away late 1970s and taking thousands, beating them 7-0 in a league game, mid 80s ?... mind you my memories arnt that sharp anymore.. CT might put me right.

Jakubs Tash wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 12, 2025 6:12 pm

Are Stoke really staring relegation in the face?

Bit dramatic, don’t you think?

Good memories on both teams in the early-mid 90’s…. Stein, Taylor, Slaven, Russell, Van der Laan, Aspin, Foyle, Foley to name a few.

Can’t beat a bit of drama, JT.

I’ll add Paul Musselwhite, Keith Houchen, Chris Sulley, Lee Sandford and John Glover.

Blasts from the past!

A Port Vale friend of mine emailed me about the possibility of the derby next season, referring to it as El Ceramico.

Stoke City are a famous old club but Port Vale are like Stockport - like status, their fans used to sing a weird Zulu song.

Don't think Stoke are going down this season. Robins is too good a manager to let that happen.